For You
by allycakes
Summary: That smile. That sweet, innocent smile that lights up the entire world. He would do anything to keep that smile on her face. Even if that means fixing her relationship with someone else. One-Shot.


**I don't own Degrassi. This is my first fanfic so be gentle, haha. This is the set during the episode 25 Don't Panic Pt. 2 in season 11 where Eli gets Clare and Jake to talk things out. I chose that certain situation because that's when it hit me that those two characters would never be done with each other. I loved Eclare before that, but that episode made my heart ache and sing at the same time. Anyway, here it is.. Hope it doesn't suck too badly. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

Her smile makes his heart clench for two reasons. Number one, because it's so damn beautiful. When she smiles it's like she's literally glowing, like she's radiating some of her love and beauty. The worst part is, is she doesn't even notice. The girl can't even see the effect she has on the people around her. At least the ones smart enough to not overlook her. She is good. She is light. She is perfection. Everything he isn't and never could be. A long, skinny arm wraps around her shoulders and her smile widens into something even more breath-taking than before and he is suddenly reminded of the second reason his heart stutters when he sees her like this. That smile doesn't belong to him anymore. It isn't reserved for their sarcastic banter. She doesn't pull it out when he leans back from kissing her senseless. She doesn't grace him with that smile at all. No, that smile belongs to someone else now, someone who makes her happy. That's something that he's not sure he ever did. As a matter of fact, he knows he didn't. Not in the long run anyway. There were just too many problems between them. There was too much to figure out and too little time to do it in. It had pushed him over the edge and he had almost taken her with him, but she was stronger than that; stronger than him, and she had pulled away at the last second. Leaving him to topple over the edge alone, but that was okay. He never wanted to hurt her.

His eyes flutter shut and the memory of Vegas night invades his thoughts: the look of fear on her angelic face, the glint of the cold metal in the pale light of the darkened hallway, and the deranged look on Fitz's face as he advanced toward the two of them. He was sure, in that moment, that he was going to die and his sweet, innocent girlfriend would get caught in the crossfire of his arrogant stupidity and Fitz's violence. The worst part was that he couldn't do anything about it. Fitz was bigger, he had a knife, and if Eli had tried to make a move he couldn't be sure that Fitz wouldn't grab Clare instead. He remembered the relief he felt as he looked at the knife hanging from the wall instead of his gut as he sank to the ground. He could hear Fitz make a smug remark, but he couldn't even look at him. He was shaking. He was weak. He knew that as soon as he looked into Clare's clear blue eyes and saw the way they shimmered, not from excitement, but from the tears spilling over her cheeks. He had failed her. He had failed at the one job he had as her boyfriend; protecting her. That was the night everything changed. He shakes his head and tries to shake the memories with it. There's nothing he can do about it now and there's no use dwelling on it.

He's talking with Fiona when he hears a familiar voice echoing through the hallways followed by a more recently familiar one. They're fighting. He can fix this. He has to fix it because then Jake will have to forgive him and Clare will be happy. Two birds one stone. He smirks when Fiona voices her opinion on just how dumb she thinks his plan is, but he doesn't care, his mind is made up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He did it because he wants to get better. At least that's what he tells himself, but he knows the real reason and so does Fiona.

"You still love her don't you?" she asks, something between admiration and disbelief coating her words.

"Probably always will, but she doesn't feel the same way so, I have to let her go."

And he does, he knows he does. He just doesn't know if he'll ever be able to.


End file.
